Races of New Dixie
The civilized populations of New Dixie fall into three racial category, plus one that is unkind to speak of but will be highlighted here. Whites Whites make up about 45-50 percent of the general populace. For generations they served a hard and unbending place in the social hierarchy as the great majority of the original Union and as had The Gentry as their guiding hand. Some believed this to be a position of nobility, while others saw it as a kind of puffed up underling status. Since the war ended and the coded rules of hierarchy were dissolved by the Messiah General (a decree known as Decentralization) White populations have declined and become closer to Colored populations as both races vie for equality. In Magnolia, the old codes are still semi-relevant and the Gentry there still hold great positions of power to themselves. Coloreds For generations in the distant past, Colored folk served as slaves to Whites and their Gentry overlords. Brought here from lands in the "god knows where" parts of the world, some still carry old customs and stories, now touched with the flavoring of New Dixie's culture. Others have found their own places and ways of living, and therace as a whole has experienced a boom in population since those codes were dissolved long ago. Old sins die a hard death, however. The chains of the past still linger. The Gentry The Gentry look something like people, with a touch of something that isn't. Standing a head taller or more than most Whites and Coloreds, and with just the slightest hint of blue in their skin, folks find it mighty easy to spot a member of The Gentry. Where it is they came from or why is a question who's answer is lost to time. Making up less than 10% of the population, The Gentry still hold positions of nobility and power in New Dixie, even centuries after Decentralization. It is rare one sees a poor member of the Gentry, though "slumming it" ain't out of bounds for the young. The Cacogens Breeding between Whites and Coloreds results in not much more than hurt feelings among the stuckup elderly. Breeding between either of the former with a member of The Gentry is beyond frowned upon, beyond taboo. For such a union, if the pregnancy spares the mother and comes to term, produces a being so foul that only a handful are known to be in existence. These creatures are known as the Cacogens, and each one varies in form and ability though some broad strokes may be observed: Extended or even eternal life, Powers beyond that available to voodoo priestesses or spirited mountain men or other folk, Sterility or (in extreme cases) sexlessness. These are a few of the Cacogens known or suspected to exist: *The Devil - The most widely known Cacogen. Unkillable, immortal, a shapechanger, and weilder of powers bizarre. Known to hang around crossroads, music halls, seedy bars and red light districts. Makes promises, contracts, and talks a good talk with them, but none of his words are to be trusted. Battled with the Messiah General during his time in this world, and foretold to die upon his return. *The Dragon - Nearing an old age after more than a thousand years of life. The Dragon is rumored to be the secret power at the center of the Klan, its secret society based out of the forests of Magnolia. Believed to be able to turn the human heart to evil. Worker of powerful rituals. Believed to not need food, feeding instead on the pain and fear of those who find themselves beneath its claws. *The King in Yellow - More of a rumor than a certainty. Those who run in shadier circles of the Bayou Marshlands or hobos who ride the rails in that area are apt to hear of him or spook each other with tales about him. When a child disappears, or a body is found mutilated in a public place, or when authorities brush foul play under the rug, the bums and whores and hobos say it's the work of the King in Yellow. *The Mountain Witch - Her huts dot the sides of many a mountain in the Apalchen Range, or so they say. Feuding clans are quick to accuse each other of being under the influence of the Witch. she is said to brew up fearsome critters in her kettle, and these creations find their way all across New Dixie. .